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Augmented and virtual reality will help build the utility workforce of the future

The utility industry is facing challenges including decades-old infrastructure and a rapidly retiring workforce. The young workers just entering the industry may dream of working with the latest in digital smart grid technology, but out in the field, these younger technicians can find themselves addressing analog repair challenges more familiar to engineers of generations past.

Change is afoot, however. Early movers in the industry are experimenting with the latest wearable technologies that will combine the real world with the digital -- and bring utility operations into the 21st century.

Glen Mannering said: “Getting the wearables right is the easy part. Getting the business and technical architecture right is the hardest. Business integration and data are always on the critical path on these projects. In the end, you will need to integrate it into the enterprise processes and solutions, and that’s going to take time and investment. To be successful, it should look like an enterprise project by the time it’s done, and utilities should plan for that.”